sleep deprivation & recovery

[Beanie]

Any tips on how to make a five year old go to sleep and to stay asleep at least for more than two hours in a row? A regular occurance of continual insomnia is becoming quite a scary experiece. I dread going to sleep as I can imagine her awakening withing two hours for a reassuring 'go back to sleep, I'm still here' plea. This is what I went through when she was a baby and she is still a horrendous sleeper. Help somebody with any experience of big baby blues!

Thanks everyone for the feedback, isn't it amazing that when you know you are not the only one to feel this way, how much better it makes you feel. Buttercup, my husband and I try to take turns as you suggested, he is so understanding, infact I don't know how I would have coped without him, but he's exhausted as well, so we're both trying to get through this together. So over the last few nights we've been going to bed before 10pm to try to catch up. I came across another thread a while back where a few people talked about these baby alarm clocks shaped like rabbits or teddys, which you can train baby to stay in bed with by telling them that they don't get up until the ears on the bunny clock pop up. Sorry if that sounds really silly, it's the only way I can describe it properly. Does anyone know where I can buy one? of these clocks?

Pigwig, I think Great Little Tradin Co. do them. All the best.

They do. But be warned that a toddler (and mine is not long 2) can make 'bunny's eyes open' with the switch on the top, therefore making it perfectly reasonable to arrive in our room at 5.30 if the mood takes her ............. (we do put her back!!)